NAIRR Pilot resource requests: free AI compute and models for US researchers
The NAIRR Pilot gives US researchers and educators free access to AI computing, models and platforms for 12 month projects. Requests are reviewed monthly.
The NAIRR Pilot, the pilot of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource, lets the research community request access to computing, model, platform and educational resources for projects that advance AI research. The US National Science Foundation leads it with the Department of Energy and a group of private and nonprofit partners who contribute resources.
The call is open to US based researchers and educators at US based institutions. This includes universities, nonprofits, federal agencies, state, local and tribal agencies, and startups and small businesses that hold federal grants. Graduate students need a letter from a faculty advisor, and you must use an institutional email address.
Projects should fit at least one focus area. These include AI methods for scientific discovery and for AI interpretability, security and trust, AI enabled automation, using sensitive data from several sources, combining simulations with AI, building open source AI tools, models and datasets, and training the next AI workforce. Other AI research may be considered as a second priority.
To apply, you fill in a form and upload a three page PDF proposal on the NAIRR Pilot submission site. Proposals are reviewed every month. Requests sent by the 15th of a month are usually decided by the end of the following month. Awards run for 12 months.
Independent peer reviewers score each proposal on fit with the focus areas, readiness for near term progress, technical feasibility, need for the resources, team experience and the justification of the requested resources. Matching committees then pair approved projects with a suitable resource. The call stays open until the end of the pilot or until all resources are committed. In September 2026 the site said that all existing opportunities remain available while NSF sets up a NAIRR Operations Center.
Quick answers
Do project results have to be public?
Yes. All project results must be open and publishable, and teams are expected to publish in the open literature and make project products publicly available where possible.
Can a graduate student apply?
Yes, with a support letter from a faculty advisor.
What if the project may lead to commercial intellectual property?
The principal investigator should discuss this directly with the assigned resource provider to see if the requirements can be met.